


Misunderstandings Seem Like a Theme for This Couple

by RyouCutie4Ever



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: #IBlameHawkmoth, #ICantWriteShortStories, #IHadNoControl, #StoryPrettyMuchWroteItself, #ThisWasSupposedToBeOnlyOneThousandWords, F/M, I Don't Hate Luka, I'm Really Not Trying to Make It Seem Like Luka Bashing, I'm Sorry If This Seems Like Luka Bashing, M/M, Special Thanks for My Beta LightRingStars, There Aren't Enough Fics About These Two, Very Vaguely Hinted at Adrien/Marinette, marthaniel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-29 19:50:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19837348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyouCutie4Ever/pseuds/RyouCutie4Ever
Summary: Nathaniel has developed feelings for his comic co-author, Marc. After he overhears a conversation between Marc and Luka, he believes Luka is also in love with Marc and becomes overcome with jealousy. What will Marc do when the Evillustrator shows up and tries to win his heart?Beta'd by LightRingStars





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Cutie: I have so many drafts and stories half-way written. Why can’t I ever finish a story? It’s like I have the worst case of writer’s ADD ever. I think of one idea, start writing it, then think of another idea and begin writing that before I’m even half-way through with the first idea. My brain needs to slow down. 
> 
> But anyway, I’ve been catching up with Miraculous Ladybug lately, and haven’t been able to stop reading fics for it. I’m appalled at the lack of Marc X Nathaniel stories. 
> 
> So I figured I’d throw my hat into the ring of Marthaniel fics. Cuz they’re cute. :3 
> 
> Also, sorry if there are any tense issues. My beta told me that I was switching between past tense and present tense without realizing it. I tried to fix it as best I could, but there’s probably still a few mistakes so, sorry about that.  
> Also, thank you to my Beta LightRingStars for catching a bunch of mistakes in this.

I’d been tapping my pencil against this unfinished drawing for a while, now. It was the next panel for our comic, but every time I tried to sketch out the base, there’d something I didn’t like about it. This was supposed to be the chapter where Reverser joins the group, Marc and I had been waiting in anticipation for the right moment to introduce him. 

I’d been trying to draw Reverser and  Mightillustrator as they decide to do patrols together in the same way Ladybug and Chat Noir do, but there’s something about the interaction that I just didn’t like. 

_ ‘It’s not...right,’  _ But I didn’t know what was wrong with it. I was following Marc’s script to the T, his writing is perfect, there’s nothing wrong with the scene he’s set up for me to draw. But when I tried to put it on paper, I felt like there’s something missing. 

_ ‘It’s just not… close enough,’  _ I thought. No wait, that’s not it.  _ ‘ _ They’re  _ not close enough.’  _

Oh, that’s the issue. I couldn’t stop a huff from leaving my lips as I forced myself to continue the drawing. 

It isn’t that the drawing was wrong, it was that it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted Reverser and Mightillustrator to be...more. In the same way, I wanted Marc and myself to be more. 

But I’m not sure if he wants that as well. 

My forced drawing continued for a few minutes. I still didn’t like what was coming to life on the page, but I refuse to erase and start over again. This needed to get done, we were expecting to publish the next chapter in a week and I still wasn’t finished with the last five pages. Marc had already started writing a rough draft for the next chapter, I can’t let this get behind schedule. 

I continued drawing until the page was almost finished. Okay, good. Now I could finally move onto colouring everything in. 

Stretching out, I rolled my head until my neck popped. Working on a drawing for too long really made my neck sore. I don’t get carpal tunnel as much as I used to, but there isn’t much I can do about neck soreness, unfortunately. I caught a glance at the clock in the art room and was surprised to see it was already two hours after school had ended. 

_ ‘Where is he…?’  _ Marc is usually here after school working with me. I thought maybe he had something to do before he came, but he still wasn’t here. Did he need to go home? He didn’t tell me… 

“Looking for your boyfriend?” Alix said from across the room, pausing in her work. 

“I- He’s not- We’re not- Alix!” I was too embarrassed and couldn’t get the words out fast enough.

She snickered and came over to sit across from me at the table, setting her spray paint down as she did. “Sorry, you know I can’t help but tease you. You’re so obvious about it. I’m actually surprised Marc hasn’t caught on.”

That made my back straighten, “Wait, am I that obvious? Do you think he knows? I-is that the reason he didn’t come by today!?” Shit, did I freak him out? I’m pretty sure Marc is into guys, but he’s never confirmed it with me and I’ve never outright asked. What if I freaked him out? 

Alix made a calming gesture with her hands, “Hey, hey. Cool it. I doubt he’s noticed, he’s just as shy as you are. Seriously doubt he’s caught on, both of you are seriously dense in the romance department.” She said as she rested her chin in her palm. 

I couldn’t stop the slight pout that came to my face, “I feel like I should be offended.”

She snorted with a roll of her eyes. “You’re not allowed to take offense to that because you  _ are  _ dense about romance. If you don’t tell him, someone else is gonna swoop in and sweep him off his feet before you get the chance to.” I didn’t want to admit it, but the idea of Marc being with someone else made my stomach churn. 

“After all, Marc is a really cute guy-,” she started.

I know, he’s adorable. I get starstruck by his gorgeous green eyes every time I look into them. His lips are a cute pink, just waiting to be kissed. And his raven hair, half-kept up in a messy ponytail. It looks so silky smooth. I wanna run my fingers through it. 

“His shy and quiet demeanor makes him somewhat mysterious-,” Alix continued. 

I know and it kind of drives me crazy. He never wants to talk about himself and talks even less about his writings. The only writing he’s still comfortable sharing with me is what he writes for our comic and a few short stories about Ladybug. But I know he writes more than that. He’s constantly writing and he has certain journals that he’s asked me not to look into if I happen upon them. Of course, I’ve never read something he’s asked me not to, I can’t betray his trust like that, just like he doesn’t push to look at my unfinished drawings. We’re both artists, we know that there are certain works and parts of the artistic process that we don’t want others seeing. 

It’s not only his writing, though. I wish I knew more about him. I’d like to call myself his best friend by now and he’s obviously mine, but I want to know more. He doesn’t tell me everything and I wish he would. 

Like why he wasn’t here right now. He didn’t even send a text.

Alix added on, “And we both know if his writings ever got published into a book, he’d have so many adoring fans-,” 

And they’d be well-deserved, too. Just because Marc doesn’t let me read everything he’s written doesn’t mean I can’t see his talent. He’s the only reason our comic is doing as well as it is; I just put his words into pictures, but it’s his stories that draw our audience in. Without him, there’s no way I could make such a successful comic. 

“Which would mean more people are going to fall for him, and since he’s available, who’s to say he won’t accept someone’s offer,” She smirked as she finally finished her speech. 

I paused at that. “...Damn it, you’re right.” How did I not think of that? Of course, I knew other people would fall for him, he’s adorable and perfect, but I didn’t think about any of our fans trying to date him. 

I hesitated as a thought came to me, “You...Do you think Marc likes someone?” 

Alix gave an exasperated sigh, “Yes. And I’m talking to him.” She seemed somewhat annoyed that I even asked like the answer should have been obvious. 

I could feel the blush rushing to my cheeks, “Wha- I mean, I would love it if that were true, but ...do you know for sure? I mean, has he told you?” 

Alix admitted, “No, he hasn’t outright told me, but I think it’s pretty obvious that he likes you. The only people Marc really talks to are you and Marinette, and the whole school knows that she’s in love with Adrien.” 

That’s true, Marinette’s crush on Adrien was blatantly obvious to everyone. Well, everyone  _ except  _ Adrien it seemed. That guy was dense as a rock, though I guess it’s not really his fault since he’s not used to social interaction. Personally, I ship it. I’m pretty sure Marc does too since I’ve overheard him playfully teasing Marinette about her own shyness on the few occasions I’ve bumped into the two in the halls. Marinette and Marc have known each other since they were little kids, so they act more like brother and sister than anything else. I seriously doubt he has any romantic feelings for her. 

But…”What if there’s someone else he likes? He could like someone that doesn’t go to our school, after all.” I don’t like to think about it, but I don’t really know much about Marc’s life outside of our comic and school. “He’s never said if he’s apart of any clubs outside of school, but he might be.” 

Alix frowned at me, crossing her arms over her chest. “If it bothers you so much, why not just tell him how you feel?” 

How could she not see the problem? “I-If he doesn’t feel the same, then what!? I’ll have just completely ruined any chance of us continuing to be friends, he won’t wanna work on our comic together anymore, h-he might hate me-,” I stopped. “Oh god, what if he hates me? No, no I  _ can’t  _ tell him.” I absolutely can’t handle the thought of Marc hating me. 

Alix gave me a pitiful look, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She clearly didn’t want to push the issue, seeing as how stressed out just talking about this was making me. 

“There’s no way Marc would hate you, Nath. I won’t push you to tell him if you really don’t want to, but I think you should.”

I sighed, uncertain. “I want to tell him. I’m just...scared.” Maybe Alix was right; if I don’t tell Marc how I feel someone else will confess to him eventually. If that happens and he agrees to go out with them I’d regret my apprehension for the rest of my life. 

While I was thinking, Alix moved from her spot and sat next to me, throwing an arm over my shoulder. “I know you love Marc more than anyone else, Nath. You two deserve to be happy together, but it’s not gonna happen if you don’t at least try to tell him.” 

“You’re right,” I admitted.

Alix nodded, “And if you’re really that nervous about confessing to him then how ‘bout this; don’t just walk up to him and say ‘I love you’. You don’t have the guts to do that and it would probably weird him out,” She’s right, there’s no way I could just waltz up and proclaim my love. And Marc, while not as shy around me as he is others, would probably freak out. Or worse, think I was playing a joke on him. “Instead, just bring up the topic of romance. Ask if he has a crush on someone like any normal friend would. If you do it that way, he might just admit that he has a crush on you.” She winked. 

I felt my cheeks flush for the second time today but couldn’t stop myself from smiling. Yeah...yeah, that just might work. 

I gave Alix an appreciative look, “Thanks, Alix. For someone who's not that into romance, you’re really good at giving advice about it.“ 

I got a light punch in the shoulder for that. 

“I’m  _ asexual,  _ not aromantic. There’s a difference, dumbass.” 

I laughed. I knew that but every now and again I couldn’t help but tease her. I don’t feel too bad about it since she teases me back about being a disaster bi, which I wholeheartedly admit to being.

Alix had to leave after a bit so once I got another page of the comic done I left the art room to look and see if Marc was still in the building. I doubt it; it’s been a few hours since classes got out but who knows. Maybe he’s hanging out with one of his classmates and just forgot to text me. 

It hurt to think that he actually forgot about me but I tried not to think of it like that. It might’ve just slipped his mind, we both had lives outside of school and our comic after all (or, well, I don’t but he probably does), so maybe he had something to do. 

I walked aimlessly through the halls for a bit, enjoying how quiet they were without students milling about. After a while with no sign of him, I decided to give up and hope I’ll see him tomorrow. 

As I started walking home, I decided to take the long way. It allowed me to take a detour near the River Seine. Walking along the river always helped me to relax. Watching the waves roll while I glanced over the boathouses, I saw Juleka’s home. Juleka and I aren’t particularly close but we both hang out in the art room enough that we’ve been over to each other’s houses at least once. I’d never seen the inside of a boathouse before that and I have to admit it was pretty cool. I could never live in one though, the rocking would drive me crazy and would probably make me seasick. That, and I doubt drawing is very easy in a constantly moving boat. 

I was going to continue walking by without a second thought until I got closer and saw Juleka’s brother sitting out in the open along with...Marc? 

I could feel a bit of anger in me as I saw it is indeed Marc. Did he ditch me to hang out with Luka? 

_ ‘Since when are they friends…?’  _ I couldn’t help but think. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them talk before. 

Without even thinking about it, I quickly walked over to one of the stairways leading up to the street and hid behind it. Even though I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, I just can’t help but be curious. 

I listened as I heard Marc say, “I don’t know, Luka, I feel like it isn’t enough. My writing is passable at best but it’s not good enough to convey emotions like this.”

My brows pulled with a bit of confusion. Marc’s writing was fantastic, he wrote the emotions of our characters perfectly. Why does he think he’s bad at it? 

Luka, who was sitting back in a relaxed manner with his guitar in hand replied, “You’re writing is wonderful, Marc, the best I’ve ever read.” 

Marc gave Luka a firm look of annoyance, “You don’t read, so what are you comparing me to?” 

I couldn’t help but silently snicker at that. Yeah, I doubt Luka reads enough for his compliment to actually mean anything, even if I agreed with him.  _ ‘That compliment would mean much more coming from me.’ _ The smug thought entered my head before I could stop it. 

Marc let out a groan as he collapsed into a nearby chair, “This is never gonna work. I don’t even know why I bother. Writing love letters is so much harder than writing fiction.” 

I felt my heart stop for a moment.  _ ‘Love letters!? To who?’  _ I couldn’t stop the feeling of jealousy even if I tried. At the same time, I felt my confidence in talking to him crumble. So he  _ does  _ like someone….

Marc continued, “It’s one thing to write a character's feelings, it’s another entirely to write your own. What if I’m not direct enough? What if I make it too vague and they think I just want to be friends? We’re already friends, but I want us to be more!” 

Luka shrugged. “Well, you came to me for advice on this even though you won’t tell me who you’re writing this love letter for, but I can’t give much advice without it being generic. And generic love letters mean about as much as a card bought from a convenience store. So instead...” he trailed off and paused as he got up and walked over the Marc. Sitting down next to him, he got closer to Marc than I’d ever like him to be and continued, “We could write a love letter together?” It was almost said too quietly for me to hear. 

But I heard it.  _ I heard it.  _

I stood up and left as quickly as I could without either of them noticing me. I didn’t want to hear Marc’s response. 

_ ‘I don’t want to hear him say yes,’  _ My unhelpful thoughts provided. 

As soon as I was far away enough, I ran the rest of the way to my house. 

The long way home was no longer appealing. 

__________________________________________________________

Bursting into my room and ignoring the calls of my concerned mother, I collapsed against the door. I could feel tears burning the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. 

I shouldn’t be upset about this, I  _ can’t  _ be upset about this. Marc didn’t know about my feelings, and that was my own fault. 

_ ‘It’s not like he broke my heart on purpose…’  _ I choked on a sob. 

This was my fault for not telling him sooner. My fault for not telling him before he fell for someone else. 

Who did he love?  _ ‘It isn’t me, he didn’t even mention me,’  _ the torturous thought wouldn’t leave my head.  _ ‘He doesn’t love  _ me _.’  _

Was it Luka? I heard Luka say that Marc hadn’t told him who the love letter was for but it would make sense. Get advice from the person you’re writing it to; it would ensure that they like it, at least. 

Marc was braver than me. He was taking the chance to tell the person he loves how he feels while I was too much of a coward to express my feelings while I had the chance. 

I felt anger mix with my heartbreak.  _ ‘I’m so stupid! Why didn’t I tell him when I had the chance?’  _ How many afternoons had we spent together, working on our comic and hanging out? I could’ve told him then. If only I’d done that, maybe he’d be in love with me instead of someone else. 

And of course Marc would write them a love letter; it was his specialty, his talent. Would he have fallen for me if I’d painted him a picture? Thinking about it now, the idea of conveying my love for him through art should’ve been obvious. I should’ve drawn a picture of us together for him, or painted his beauty onto a canvas. 

I was so absorbed in my misery, I didn’t hear the fluttering of butterfly wings coming closer. 

I was holding a pen out of habit, and while I didn’t think anything of it, I regretted holding it the second I felt the akuma go into it. 

Hawkmoth’s voice rang through my head, making my mind feel fuzzy, “Evillustrator, I’m giving you a second chance at love. You want to prove your love to him, that you love him more than anyone else. I can give you the power to do so, but in return, I need you to capture Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous for me. Don’t fail me again.”

I didn’t want to be akumatized for a second time, but I could only fight him for a moment before my mind gave in, “Yes, Hawkmoth. I’ll prove to Marc that I love him more than anyone.” 

I transformed into Evillustrator and left through the window. All I could think about was how much I wanted Marc to love me. 

_______________________________________________________________

Marc had finally left Luka’s place and was on his way home when he noticed something was wrong. There wasn’t anyone outside, no tourists or couples or anyone. It was so quiet. What happened? He looked around, trying to see if there was something he missed.

Was there another akuma attack? His phone had been switched off since school had ended in case Nathaniel tried to text him; Marc couldn’t handle the idea of talking to Nathaniel today since he had been trying to finish writing his love letter. He felt bad about outright ignoring his co-author, but it had been necessary. Marc hadn’t been able to think straight lately when he was around Nathaniel, the boy was too distracting. 

He paused in his steps; he still didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Still, this was abnormal. This was  _ Paris,  _ there wasn’t a single day of the year the streets weren’t crowded with people. Even having only a few people out walking was odd, but none? That didn’t happen unless people were told to stay inside due to an akuma terrorizing the city. You’d think people would’ve stopped coming to Paris due to how dangerous the city was now, but apparently, superheroes were good for tourism. 

He didn’t want to take a chance. Quickly looking around once more and seeing no immediate threat, he ducked into the first building he saw, that being the Louvre. Maybe not the best place to hide seeing as how so many akuma have come to this building for one reason or another, but he was already inside and didn’t hear any fighting or self-important shouting, so Marc figured it was fine to wait here until he knew everything was okay. 

As Marc walked through the halls, he started to get a bad feeling in his stomach. Since his phone was off, he hadn’t heard from Nathaniel all day or any of their other friends. Were they all okay? 

_ ‘I’ll just text him. Hopefully, he’ll know what’s going on.’  _ But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Marc dismissed it.  _ ‘No, I can’t ignore him all day and then just suddenly ask him what’s happening. He’s gonna worry.’  _

Maybe he could text Alix, instead. Maybe he’ll get lucky and she won’t ask why he’s been ignoring her best friend all day, there’s no doubt she didn’t know about it seeing as she’s usually in the art room after school, too. And maybe she could tell him if Nathaniel was okay. 

_ ‘I can’t ignore him forever. I don’t  _ want  _ to ignore him forever. I’m just...too nervous to talk to him today. I’m sure he’ll understand once I give him the letter tomorrow. The letter. Oh god. I’m really gonna do this, aren’t I?’  _ Bringing out his phone, Marc texted Alix before he could second guess himself again. 

‘Hey Alix, is there another akuma attack happening right now? I was out on the street earlier and saw no one outside.’ 

Her reply was almost immediate. ‘Where were you today? Nathaniel was worried, you know. You didn’t text him or anything.’ 

She sent another text directly after. ‘I haven’t heard anything about an akuma attack, but better to be safe than sorry. Stay inside until we know for sure.’

Alright, so Alix didn’t know what was going on, either. Maybe Marc was just being paranoid? 

Figuring he had nothing better to do, and it’s not like Marc disliked the Louvre, he decided to hang out and wait. He walked down a few more halls until he came to the room containing the Mona Lisa. Sitting down on one of the benches, he took out his journal and flipped through the pages, trying to find his most recent draft for his and Nathaniel’s comic. 

Marc sat there on the bench writing for a few minutes before he was interrupted. 

“It’s nice in the Louvre, isn’t it?” He jumped up with a yelp. Who said that? Looking over at the entrance of the room, Marc was shocked to see the Evillustrator leaning against the door frame, looking at him with a smile. 

Marc didn’t know what to do. Why did Nathaniel turn back into the Evillustrator? What happened? 

He stuttered out, not sure if he should be running or not, “N-Nathan- I mean...Evillustrator, why are you…? What happened?” 

Evillustrator’s smile softened at the question as he calmly walked over the Marc. Marc stood perfectly still, too scared of angering the akuma to try and run. “Of course you’re concerned for me. You’re such a sweetheart, Marc.”

Marc gasped as he felt the akuma cup his cheek in his hand. Evillustrator continued like he’d heard nothing, caressing Marc’s cheek with his thumb, “As much as I enjoy our relationship now, don’t you think there’s something missing? I do. Something’s not right, Marc.”

Marc shook his head. He had no relationship with Evillustrator, he had one with Nathaniel. Or at least, he wanted one with Nathaniel. 

This was bad. Marc had no clue when or even if Ladybug and Chat Noir were on their way. Did they know that Evillustrator was back? Hopefully. But even then, there was no guarantee they knew he was in the Louvre. There were only a few people in the building when Marc came in, and it was only the two of them in the Mona Lisa room at the moment. Did no one see Evillustrator come in? Why hadn’t Marc heard any screams or warning shouts? 

Marc swallowed, “I-is, I mean, are you angry with me? I’m sorry about this afternoon, I-I wanted to text you, but-,”

Evillustrator interrupted, “But a sweet boy like you wouldn’t try to break my heart like that, I know. It isn’t your fault that Luka is trying to steal you away. And while I’m not too happy about you going to  _ him  _ for love advice instead of me, don’t worry. I know how to convince you that I love you more than he ever could.”

Evillustrator pulled Marc close to him and whispered, “I’ve already finished it.”

Marc was scared to ask, but he needed to know. In a low tone, he asked, “Finished...what?”

“Your gift. To show you how much I love you. To  _ prove  _ I love you more than anyone else,” He replied with an excited grin, but it did nothing to calm Marc’s nerves. If anything, it made him feel worse. 

A gift of love from Nathaniel sounded like a dream, but a gift of love from the Evillustrator, an akuma, sounded more like a nightmare. 

Marc had heard about what happened the first time Nathaniel was akumatized, how he terrorized Chloe and tried to force Marinette to go on a date with him. From what Marinette had told him, the date was as sweet as it could’ve been, so much so that she almost forgot he was a dangerous hostage to Hawkmoth. 

If Marc was being honest, the Evillustrator was one of the scariest akuma Hawkmoth had ever made. He seemed to have more free will than any other akuma, making it even more unclear how much of what he was doing was mind-controlled and how much was actually Nathaniel making decisions under Hawkmoth’s influence. 

Marc enjoyed writing for Mightillustrator in his stories, but those were stories where the person in front of him was the hero, not a villain. Nathaniel told Marc that he’d initially started drawing his alter ego as a hero to cope with his akumatization, like a form of artistic therapy almost. It made the guilt a bit easier to ignore. Marc had felt the same way after his own akumatization; the knowledge that your own emotions allowed Hawkmoth another opportunity to terrorize Paris came with a form of guilt only other akumatized victims could understand. 

Hawkmoth made being an emotional teenager in Paris even more stressful than it already was. 

But the Evillustrator had tried to  _ buzzsaw Chloe in half,  _ so Marc felt it wasn’t an exaggeration to say he was terrifying. As far as Marc knew, the Evillustrator had been the only akuma to try and murder someone. Marc wasn’t even sure if Hawkmoth was okay with actually killing people, seeing how the villain had never gone to that extreme himself. 

And at the moment, Marc was feeling so many emotions that he wasn’t sure how to process them all. On one hand, Evillustrator acting like this most likely meant that Nathaniel was in love with him, which made Marc’s heart soar. But at the same time, Evillustrator seemed to think that Luka was also in love with Marc, which not only wasn’t true (Marc had a sneaking suspicion that Luka had a thing for Marinette, but that wasn’t any of his business), it also put Luka in danger. 

If Evillustrator was in love with Marc, then hopefully that meant he wouldn’t harm him. Marinette had mentioned that the akuma not only refused to hurt her but also agreed not hurt Chloe because Marinette specifically told him she hated violence. 

Marc loved writing about superheroes and loved working on the comic with Nathaniel about superheroes. Maybe this was his chance to be one in real life. As long as he could keep Evillustrator distracted, he wouldn’t hurt anyone. Marc would have to stay with the akuma until Ladybug and Chat Noir arrived, which scared him (even if the akuma claimed to be in love with him, he was still unpredictable and dangerous) but that was a chance he was willing to take if it meant no one would get hurt. 

Because Marc knows how it feels to wake up after an akumatization and found out you hurt and scared so many people. He knows Nathaniel is already going to have guilt over being akumatized twice, regardless of the fact that it wasn’t his fault, and he didn’t need the extra weight of knowing he hurt someone as well. 

Marc took a deep breath, trying to collect himself. He didn’t want to seem nervous or it might tip Evillustrator off to his fear. 

He forced himself to give a small smile, “R-really? You made something just for  _ me _ ? I-I’d love to see it.”  _ ‘Just pretend to be interested until the real heroes get here.’  _ He encouraged himself. 

Evillustrator gave him the brightest grin, “Of course! Here, I’ll take you to it right now.” He held Marc's hands in his own in a show of excitement for a moment before letting go and grabbing his pencil. 

The Evillustrator made quick work of drawing a jetpack that materialized on his back and erased part of the wall so the outside world was exposed and held his arms out for Marc. “I’ll carry you.”

Marc couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment before reaching a hand out for the Evillustrator to take, “Promise not to drop me?” The question was meant to sound teasing even though he was serious. 

Evillustrator chuckled at him before taking his hand and pulling Marc toward him so that the boy fell gracefully into his arms bridal style. “I promise.” 

And with that, he flew out of the newly made opening in the wall, taking Marc wherever he pleased. 


	2. Chapter 2

Evillustrator carried Marc with care until they reached their destination. Marc really shouldn’t have been surprised to find them at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Even when Evillustrator put him down, Marc held onto the akuma in fear of falling. 

“A-Ah! Hey, don’t let go!” Marc exclaimed. Evillustrator just chuckled at his terror, clearly finding it cute. 

“Relax. I would never let anything happen to you,” he said, trying to ease Marc’s fears. It didn’t help. Being consoled by an akuma wasn’t comforting. Marc found himself once again wishing that he was with Nathaniel instead. “Now please, take a look at the sky.” 

Marc muttered back, “The sky…?” When he looked up toward the now darkened night sky, he couldn’t help the breath of surprise that escaped him. The stars…!

The stars were in the shape of him. A cluster of stars in the sky had somehow shifted and warped to shape the outline of Marc as if he were a constellation. The moon was shining more than Marc had ever seen before, illuminating the night like all the paintings of a romantic night in Paris he’d ever seen before. Marc couldn’t look away from the view. 

Evillustrator wasn’t paying any attention to his work, instead focusing on Marc’s reaction and couldn’t stop the smirk that formed on his lips. He knew Marc would love his gift. It took some convincing with Hawkmoth to allow the akuma to go after Marc before Ladybug and Chat Noir, but when Evillustrator mentioned that taking Marc with him would prompt the heroes to react and follow, Hawkmoth relented and let the akuma have his way. 

The akuma couldn’t help the feeling of pride welling up inside him at Marc’s starstruck expression. “You see, I love you so much that I put you in the stars. You’ll be a part of the constellations, forever remembered as a beauty even the universe wanted to keep. Would  _ Luka  _ be able to do something like this?” The name was spat out like venom from the akumas mouth. 

And just like that, the moment of magic Marc felt was gone. He couldn’t find the gesture romantic, no matter how incredible it was. Right, he needed to remember where he was and who he was with. This wasn’t Nathaniel.  _ This wasn’t Nathaniel.  _ This was a dangerous akuma with Nathaniel's face and voice who currently had it out for Luka. 

Marc needed to be careful with what he said next. The wrong words might anger Evillustrator and send him chasing after Luka in misunderstood revenge. 

“This...really is the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for me. I don’t think anything could top this. How did you even do this?” He said in the calmest tone he could muster. 

“I painted with the stars. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do for you, but! I knew I had to do something, I  _ had  _ to show you that I love you in a way that fit us. We’re both artists, after all, so what better way to tell you how I feel than showing you through art?” Evillustrator stated with enthusiasm. 

Marc’s thoughts went to the letter still in his bag. He used the same logic when writing it; why not use his and Nathaniel’s shared hobbies to confess? For Marc, writing a letter in order to confess to his co-author made sense. And it made sense for Nathaniel to do something artistic like drawing or painting something in his own way of confessing. Marc suddenly felt so guilty that Nathaniel’s artistic confession to him was soiled like this. 

_ ‘Something like this...going to the Eiffel Tower, Nath giving me a painting like this with me in the stars and me giving him my letter...it would’ve been perfect…,’  _ Marc couldn’t stop the words leaving his lips, “Hawkmoth really does ruin everything. We could’ve had such a wonderful night together.” 

Evillustrator looked at Marc in confusion, “What do you mean? We’re together right now  _ because  _ of Hawkmoth! Luka would’ve taken you away from me if Hawkmoth hadn’t given me this opportunity.” 

Marc felt anger flow over him, “No! He’s just manipulating you! Nathaniel would’ve taken me here, he would’ve given me a painting or drawing and I would’ve given him my letter! This  _ would’ve  _ been perfect but now it’s ruined!” 

Evillustrator scowled and clutched onto Marcs’ arms painfully, “So this isn’t good enough for you? Then what is? What do I have to do to prove that I love you more than anyone else!?” 

“Just be you!” Marc sobbed. More quietly, he muttered, “I just want Nathaniel.” 

Evillustrator started to respond before Hawkmoth yelled in his mind, “Evillustrator! Ladybug is finally here!  _ Take her miraculous!”  _ The akuma growled, both infuriated at the interruption and grateful for an outlet for his anger. 

The akuma turned to the edge of the tower, seeing the hero duo coming towards them. 

“Damn it!” 

He grabbed Marc and pulled him closer to a beam near the middle of the platform. Regardless of what was going on, he couldn’t let Marc get in the way of the fight. It was too big of a risk for the boy to get hurt. “Hold onto this and don’t get close to the fight!” He barked. 

Marc nodded, not wanting to anger him more. He already said more than he should’ve. Now Evillustrator was going to take his anger out on Ladybug and Chat Noir. Marc felt the guilt rise up; if he hadn’t let his emotions get the better of him then the Evillustrator wouldn’t be so angry right now. An angry akuma was usually harder to fight for Ladybug. 

Marc watched as the hero duo landed on the Eiffel Tower’s platform. “Evillustrator! Why are you here? And why have you taken Marc as a hostage?” Ladybug yelled.

Evillustrator sneered at her as he readied his pen, “He is  _ not  _ my hostage! Marc and I were having a lovely romantic evening before you showed up to ruin it. You can pay for interrupting us by giving me your miraculous!” 

Marc looked away after that, not wanting to watch his crush be beaten. Evillustrator was strong and put up quite a fight, but before long his akuma came out of the now broken pen with Ladybug purifying it. She set everything back as it was, with the four of them now on the ground next to the Eiffel Tower. 

“I believe you two should talk about your relationship. This was all a misunderstanding, just like the last time one of you was akumatized,” Marc wanted to believe that Ladybug didn’t mean for that to sound as patronizing as it did. 

The heroes left separately before they transformed back, leaving the two of them alone. 

Nathaniel looked stricken, clearly worried he’d hurt Marc while akumatized. He quickly stood up from his position on the ground and rushed over to Marc, “Marc! I’m so sorry, I didn’t hurt you, did I!?” 

He looked over Marc, looking for any injuries that may have been left despite the fact that they would’ve been healed by Ladybug’s magic. 

Marc cupped Nathaniel’s face, forcing him to look him in the eyes, “I’m fine, Nath. But Ladybug is right, we need to talk.”

Nathaniel winced, “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that, i-in a way that Hawkmoth could take advantage of me. I should be happy for you and Luka-” Marc stopped him.

“Luka and I are  _ not  _ together! I don’t feel anything but friendship for him, and I know for a fact that he doesn’t feel that way about me. Heck, I’m not even sure Luka likes guys. I’m pretty sure he has a crush on Marinette.” 

“Wait, so Luka doesn’t like you in a romantic way?” Nathaniel asked. “...Are you sure?” 

Marc laughed and shook his head, “ _ Yes,  _ I’m sure. And it wouldn’t matter if he did or not, I’d still say no. Because I…,” Marc trailed off. 

He needed to tell Nathaniel. This wasn’t how he pictured this moment happening, not in the slightest, but this weirdly seemed like the perfect time to tell him. It didn’t matter that this wasn’t at the top of the Eiffel Tower, or that Nathaniel clearly didn’t have a painting or drawing to give him in return. All that mattered was that Marc had his letter and was ready to confess. 

He reached into his bag which had managed to survive the evening, grabbing the letter and pulling it out. He held it close for a moment, “Because I like you, Nathaniel. I was going to give this to you later, but I think now is the best time. I need to do this before I lose the courage to.” 

He held the letter out for Nathaniel to take, who stood there for a moment just looking at it. He grabbed it after another second, looking at the simple white envelope sealed with a heart-shaped sticker. On the front of it was his name written in Marc’s neat cursive handwriting. 

“This was why I didn’t text you at all today, a-and I’m really sorry I didn’t, b-but I wanted to make sure this was perfect which was why I went to Luka since he writes songs in his free time so I-I figured he would be a good person to go to-,” Marc continued to ramble as Nathaniel carefully opened the letter. 

Nathaniel felt his eyes sting with tears as he read it. His hand came up to cover his mouth. 

_ ‘Nathaniel, _

_ I’m writing this because I can’t say it out loud. You know how bad I am at talking; I’m much more comfortable writing my feelings out on paper. At first, I thought maybe I should write a poem but that seemed too insincere. I want this to be clear, honest, and concise.  _

_ I love you, Nathaniel. I’ve completely fallen for you.  _

_ I know we didn’t meet under the best circumstances and I wish I would’ve just asked you to work on the comic in the first place instead of going through that whole mess with the journal. But at the same time, I’m sort of glad in a way. We have a lot in common, in our admiration of Ladybug and our experiences of being akumatized. I feel more comfortable talking to you about these things than anyone else.  _

_ Honestly, I feel comfortable talking to you about anything. You’re the one person I don’t have to worry about making fun of me or talking about me behind my back. You’re the only one I’m willing to let read my writing. I trust you more than anyone else.  _

_Even if you don’t feel the same, you’re still my best friend. I don’t ever want to lose what we have. I love working on our comic with you, I love hanging out with you, I love just being_ _with you._

_ I hope you can accept my feelings. _

_ Love, _

_ Marc’ _

Marc stood waiting for him to finish reading it, worrying his lip. As the minutes ticked by, Marc became more nervous. What if the letter was as bad as he thought it was? Maybe he should’ve waited until tomorrow and re-written it when he got home. 

A tear fell from Nathaniel’s face, hitting the page. “Ah!” Nathaniel jumped and tried to brush it off without ruining the letter. 

Marc moved to touch him but hesitated, “I-is it that bad?” He didn’t want to make Nath cry, damnit! 

Nathaniel quickly shook his head. He wiped at his eyes, sniffling, ”No! No, it-it’s perfect. Of course, you would be so sweet. Marc, I love you too.” He smiled at him.

Nathaniel grabbed Marc’s hands, being mindful of the letter. “I’ve loved you for a long time, now. I’m sorry I don’t have something to give you in return for such a wonderful letter, but I promise I’ll make something.” 

Marc returned the smile, “It’s okay. You returning my feelings is the perfect gift.” He wrapped his arms around Nathaniel, resting his head on the others’ chest. Nathaniel returned the hug, his chin resting on Marc’s head. 

They were both just enjoying their moment until a camera flash startled them. Marc instinctually jumped back, recognizing the flash of the camera and whipping his head around to see who photographed them.

Marinette was standing a few feet away from them holding her phone up and hunched over at being caught, “Sorry, I didn’t mean for the flash to go off!” 

Marc felt his whole face heat up, “Marinette! Did you really just take a picture of us!?” What was she even doing there? What did she plan on using that picture for!? 

“I saw that you guys were hugging and it was so cute, I just  _ had  _ to get a picture! C’mon, it was too cute!” She weakly tried to defend her actions. 

Nathaniel piped up, “You’d better text that picture to me.” He pointed at her.

Marc looked at his friend (boyfriend? Friend? Boyfriend??) in betrayal, “Nath! Does it not bother you that she just took a picture of us? Without permission??” Marinette shrunk back with a wince at each word. 

Nathaniel just smiled at him, catching Marc off guard. “No, because she just captured the happiest moment of my life unfiltered. Now I have a base for my gift to you. I’ll paint the picture she took.” 

Marinette lit up at the suggestion, “That’s such a sweet idea! I’ll text it to the both of you right now!” She started texting away on her phone.

Marc looked at her and slumped in defeat, “Fine. I guess Nath has a point, that  _ is  _ the perfect picture. But don’t send it to anyone else!!” He paused. “Actually, feel free to send it to Adrien, too.” 

Nathaniel and Marinette looked at him in curiosity at the sudden change of mind. “Why Adrien?” Nathaniel asked. 

Marc gave a cheeky smile toward Marinette, “Because Marinette needs any and all excuses to text him. And who knows, maybe seeing a happy couple will make him jealous and want to ask someone out himself.” He said the word ‘someone’ clearly with an underlying meaning. He was obviously referencing Adrien asking Marinette out. 

Who knows, maybe the overly dense Adrien just needs to catch the FOMO fever for romance to ask Marinette out. The two clearly belonged together, and now that Marc had sorted out his own love-life ( _ ‘Omg, I have a love-life now. So cool.’ _ ) he was more than willing to help Marinette with her own failing attempts at romance. 

Marinette squawked at the notion, waving her hands frantically as if to physically dismiss the suggestion, “W-What are you talking about?? It’s not like Adrien has a crush or anything! Does he?? He doesn’t, right? Did he tell you he did?” She started muttering to herself. 

Marc and Nathaniel both laughed. It seemed like they weren’t the most hopeless couple in class, at least. 

Nathaniel glanced at Marc, taking in the events of the night and was unable to contain the smile growing on his face at the sight of his crush- no, his boyfriend smiling. He reached down and took Marc’s hand in his own. 

Marc looked at him and stepped closer to hold onto Nathaniel’s arm, wanting to be as close as possible to his new boyfriend. 

Marinette thankfully didn’t take any more pictures, now too hung up on the thought that Adrien might have a crush she didn’t know about. 

_______________________________________________________________

Later that night, Nathaniel was getting ready for bed. He and Marc had spent a bit longer talking to Marinette at the Eiffel Tower before they all headed home. He walked Marc home and received a kiss on the cheek before the raven-haired boy ducked into his house in embarrassment. 

Nathaniel’s cheeks hurt by the time he got home from smiling the whole way. 

Just as he was climbing into bed, his phone dinged. He reached over to grab it off the charger, seeing a text from Alix. 

_ ‘I want the whole story! Gimme details~’  _ Attached was the photo Marc had specifically told Marinette to only share with them and Adrien. 

“MARINETTE!” 

On his messages was an unread text from Marinette to both him and Marc. 

_ ‘I’M SO SORRY I accidentally shared it with the whole class in the group chat please dont kill me’  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, that’s how I’m ending it. This ended up being waaaaay longer than I meant it to be. It was just supposed to be a short n’ sweet oneshot. 
> 
> Also yes, I skipped out on the fight scene because I can’t write fight scenes. I’m leaving that part up to your imaginations. 
> 
> I know it’s strange that I switched from Nathaniel’s POV to normal POV but I realized I couldn’t write the whole thing in his POV since he gets akumatized halfway through. 
> 
> I didn’t have Marc and Nathaniel kiss because they just don’t seem like the type of couple to immediately make-out as soon as they get together. I feel like they’d work their way up to kissing and eventually making-out but not as soon as they got together. 
> 
> Adrien and Marinette on the other hand….


	3. Deleted Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is a scrapped piece that I ended up not using in the final story because I just didn't like where it was going. This takes place right after Nathaniel gets akumatized and stays in his POV.

_ ___Takes Place Directly After Nathaniel Becomes Akumatized____ _

I was on my way back to the Seine River where I’d last seen Marc, hoping he was still there. No, actually I didn’t wish he was still there because that would mean he was still with Luka. 

Looking around, I hoped that he was walking back to his own home,  _ alone.  _ But I didn’t see him. 

Letting out a growl of annoyance, I began drawing a replica of Reverser’s plane. If I can’t find him on foot, I’ll find him from the air. 

It came into existence after being drawn and I quickly stepped on, soon soaring over Paris as continued my search. 

Eventually, I found him walking a bit further from Lukas than I thought he’d be. Good, he was alone; he must’ve left just a little bit after I’d fled. 

I landed in front of him and he nearly fell back in shock. I grabbed his arm, keeping him from falling. I didn’t let go, but I didn’t pull him close, either. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. 

Marc fumbled over his words, trembling in my grasp, “E-Evillustrator!? What are you- H-How are you here? What happened to Nathaniel!?” He said everything in a rush, worry and fear both evident on his face. 

I gave him a soft smile, hoping it was comforting, “I’m not Nathaniel anymore, I’m Evillustrator now.” I still hadn’t let go of his arm. I caressed him under my grasp; his skin was so soft. 

Marc whimpered. The sound was cute, but not one that I wanted him to make in fear. “Wh-what do you want?”

I chuckled, “You, of course.”

His eyes widened, “What? I don’t understand, what did I do to upset you? I-Is this because I didn’t text you today? I’m really sorry about that, I meant to but I wasn’t sure-” 

I stopped his apologies, “It’s okay, I’m not mad at  _ you.  _ You’re the one I love.” 

I reveled in the way he blushed and mumbled, “Y-you do? D-does, I mean, did Nathaniel-,” he stopped when I scowled at him. “S-sorry, nevermind.” 

Marc coughed, trying to distract from his last question, “If you’re not angry with me, then who…?” he trailed off, not completely sure he wanted to know the answer. 

My anger showed on my face as Marc shrank away from me and my grip on his arm tightened, “ _ Luka.  _ He tried to steal you from me, so I’m going to make him stay away from you. Forever. Then it’ll just be you and me. Doesn’t that sound nice?” 

Marc stared at me for a moment before moving closer with a bit of hesitance. “Do-do you have to?”

“What do you mean? Of course I do! He tried to steal you away, I can’t let that stand!” Marc needed to understand that Luka had to pay. There was a price for trying to steal what was mine. 

Marc looked away for a moment, seeming to contemplate something for his emerald eyes returned to me, determination setting into them. Ah, they were so beautiful. I barely noticed as one of his arms went behind his back as he said, “But I don’t want you to.” 

I yanked him closer to me, his once again fearful face mere inches from my own. No,  _ no,  _ he didn’t just say that! “Why!? Is it because you love  _ him _ ?” I seethed. 

He frowned and shook his head. “No, I have no feelings for Luka! I never have!” I relaxed a bit when I heard those words, but not completely. 

I pulled him close and wrapped my arms around him. The replica of Reverser’s plane began to lift us into the air, and Marc yelped in surprise, throwing his arms around my neck in a tight grip to stay steady. 

“You’re not a liar, Marc. I know that. But even if you don’t have feelings for him, that doesn’t mean he won’t still try to steal you away. I have to make sure that won’t happen,” I said as we flew off into the direction of Luka and Juleka’s boathouse. 

While we were in the air, I didn’t hear the faint beeping of buttons being pushed on Marcs’ phone. 

_____________________________________________________________

When we arrived, Ladybug and Chat Noir were somehow already there, waiting for us. And Luka was nowhere to be seen, having more than likely been told to run. How did they know!? A growl left my lips and Marc gasped in fear when I pulled my arms up to draw something. 

“I’ll get rid of these bastards. Then after I take care of Luka, I’ll have you all to myself, “ I gave him a smirk, but it didn’t seem to calm his nerves. 

“Let go of him!” Chat Noir shouted over. Neither he nor Ladybug dared to get too close, clearly worried I might hurt my hostage. 

Idiots, as if I’d ever harm my beloved writer. I rested my head on top of his to keep him from turning around and looking at them. 

I drew a flair and grabbed it as soon as it appeared, throwing it over to Ladybug and Chat Noir. It lit up just as it neared them, blinding them and knocking them into the water, giving me the opportunity I needed to land on the boat. Marc tried to run from me the second we hit the wooden floor, but I was stronger than him. 

I drew a pair of handcuffs and positioned them around both of our wrists so that he couldn’t get away. 

“Let me go!” He struggled, but there was no getting these cuffs off. 

“You called them, didn’t you!? I thought you said you didn’t love him!” I yelled, furious. How could Marc call them? So he really did love Luka, he just lied to me to protect him. The anger was overwhelming. 

Hawkmoth’s voice came into my mind, “Take care of your competition, and get me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous. Do that, and the boy will have no choice but to be yours.” That sounded like a great idea. 

Marc yelled out, “I had to call them! Nathaniel, I know you don’t want to hurt anyone! You aren’t a violent person! Please, you’re still in there! The Nathaniel I love would never do this.” His voice broke as he spoke, pain evident in his words. 

Something about his words made me pause.  _ ‘The Nathaniel he loves…?’ _ I shook my head. But Nathaniel isn’t here anymore. I’m Evillustrator,  _ not  _ Nathaniel. He said he loves me, though...

“Hurry! That flair only hindered Ladybug and Chat Noir for a moment!” Hawkmoth shouted in my mind. 

I jerked my head in their direction to see both of them already climbing back on the boat. They were still apprehensive, not wanting to put Marc at risk. I could see them talking to each other in hushed tones, neither sure how to approach. Ladybug was in the middle of dropping an attachable ladder from the side of the boat, it’s pattern clearly showing that it was her lucky charm. This was my chance. 

I got my pen ready to draw something else, but it was swiped from my hand before I could. Marc held it away from me, defiance clear in his eyes. 

I glared at him, “Didn’t you just say you love me? Give that back, Marc. I’m doing this for us.” I love him, but there’s only so much I can put up with. If he doesn’t stop rejecting our love, I might do something I’ll regret. 

He shook his head. “No, you’re not.” He threw the pen over to Ladybug.

“No!!” I shouted, reaching for it in vain as it flew through the air. Ladybug grabbed it, snapping it in half and letting the akuma fly out. 

Everything was a bit of a blur for a moment as she purified it. I could feel myself change back to normal, the cuffs that bound Marc to me disappearing as well. 

I could faintly hear Ladybug throwing her lucky charm in the air to release her lucky ladybug’s, having them fix any damage I happened to have caused as Evillustrator . 

With my mind no longer clouded by Hawkmoth’s influence, I felt sick. I...I let him use me again. No one has ever been akumatized twice, at least not from what I’ve heard. And it was for the same reason both times. Because I was jealous, because I couldn’t just be happy for those I loved. 

I refused to look at Marc even as he walked over to me. I felt too ashamed to look at him. 

_ ‘I wouldn’t blame him for hating me.’  _ I thought. I can’t quite recall what I’d done as Evillustrator, it’s always a haze of clouded memories every time I’ve been under Hawkmoth’s control. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t do anything bad. Since we’re here on Luka’s boathouse, with Ladybug and Chat Noir walking over to us, I can pretty much guess what happened. 

I felt Marc place his hand under my chin, lifting my head up to look at him. Even though I was expecting anger, I still flinched under his glare. 

He looks so  _ angry. ‘He has every right to be angry with me. From the looks of it, Evillustrator tried to get between him and Luka.’  _ I reprimanded myself. 

“Are you two okay?” Ladybug asked in a hurry. She probably needed to leave soon, I could hear beeping coming from her and Chat Noirs jewelry. 

“Yeah, we’re fine. We just have a lot of talking to do.” Marc answered her with a tight voice. I winced; yeah, he’s definitely mad. 

She looked at me for confirmation and I nodded. Her and Chat Noir left before their time limit ran out, leaving Marc and me alone. 

“M-Marc, I’m really sorry about this,” I tried, nervousness clear in my voice. He said nothing as he grabbed my hand and led me off the boat to the public street. 

He didn’t even look at me. I felt my throat close up, but refused to cry. I don’t deserve to cry, not when this was my fault in the first place for getting akumatized. 

Marc finally let go after a few more steps and stopped. I pulled my arm to my chest, nervous to receive the lecture I deserved. He took a deep breath, and pulled out a letter from the inside of his jacket, handing it to me. 

What…? I looked at it and slowly took it, looking at him in confusion. “What is this?”

Marc huffed, his cheeks puffing out in a pout, “I wrote it for you. Luka helped me write it. I wasn’t really confident in my ability to write my own emotions, and emotions are Luka’s specialty. He can’t describe something in words to save his life but he understands feelings and helped talk me through writing this. I wanted to give it to you tomorrow. But now seems like a better time.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a scrapped piece for this fic. I was originally planning to write the whole thing in Nathaniel’s point of view before I realized that akumatized victims usually don’t remember what happened while they were akumatized, so this wouldn’t really make sense. 
> 
> The confession scene would have gone a lot differently if I had stuck with this idea. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
